The Silver Lion ( it, Leone d'argento, also known as Silver Lion for Best Direction) is an annual award presented for best directing achievements in a feature film at official competition section of the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

since 1998. The prize has been awarded irregularly and has gone through several changes of purpose. Between 1953 and 1994, the award was given infrequently to a number of films as second prize for those nominated for the Golden Lion. At various times, the Silver Lion has also been awarded for debut films, short films, and direction.

Silver Lion for Best Direction (1990–present)

Multiple winners

The following received two Best Director awards:

Defunct awards

Silver Lion Prize (1953–1994)

From 1953 to 1957, the Silver Lion was awarded to a number of films nominated for the Golden Lion as a second prize. Since 1988, the Silver Lion has been given to one or more films nominated for the Golden Lion. * 1953 ** '' Little Fugitive'' by Raymond Abrashkin, Morris Engel, and Ruth Orkin ** '' Moulin Rouge'' by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

** '' Sadko'' by Aleksandr Ptushko ** '' Thérèse Raquin'' by Marcel Carné ** '' Ugetsu'' by Kenji Mizoguchi ** '' I Vitelloni'' by Federico Fellini * 1954 ** '' On the Waterfront'' by

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

** '' Sansho the Bailiff'' by Kenji Mizoguchi ** ''

Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire seven ...

'' by

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dy ...

** '' La Strada'' by Federico Fellini * 1955 ** '' Le Amiche'' by

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni (, ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian filmmaker. He is best known for directing his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents"—'' L'Avventura'' (1960), '' La Notte'' (1961), and '' L'Eclisse'' (1 ...

** '' The Big Knife'' by

Robert Aldrich Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable credits include ''Vera Cruz'' (1954), '' Kiss Me Deadly'' (1955), '' The Big Knife'' (1955), '' Autumn ...

** '' Ciske de Rat'' by

Wolfgang Staudte Wolfgang Staudte (9 October 1906 – 19 January 1984), born Georg Friedrich Staudte, was a German film director, script writer and actor. He was born in Saarbrücken. After 1945, Staudte also looked at German guilt in the cinema. Alongside He ...

** '' The Grasshopper'' by Samson Samsonov * 1956 – no award * 1957 – '' Le Notti Bianche'' by

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

* 1988 – '' Landscape in the Mist'' by

Theo Angelopoulos Theodoros "Theo" Angelopoulos (; ; 27 April 1935 – 24 January 2012) was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on, and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely re ...

* 1989 ** ''

Recordações da Casa Amarela ''Recollections of the Yellow House'' ( pt, Recordações da Casa Amarela) is a 1989 Portuguese film directed by João César Monteiro. Plot João de Deus, a middle-aged man, lives in a cheap boarding house in an old part of Lisbon. He relies on ...

'' by João César Monteiro ** ''Death of a Tea Master'' by

Kei Kumai was a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his first film, '' Nihon ...

* 1990 – no award * 1991 ** '' Raise the Red Lantern'' by

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...

** '' The Fisher King'' by

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including '' Time Bandits'' (1981), '' ...

** '' J'entends plus la guitare'' by

Philippe Garrel Philippe Garrel (; born 6 April 1948) is a French director, cinematographer, screenwriter, film editor, and producer, associated with the French New Wave movement. His films have won him awards at Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. ...

* 1992 ** ''

Hotel de lux A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'' by

Dan Pița Dan Pița (; born 11 October 1938 in Dorohoi, Botoșani County, Romania) is a Romanian film director and screenwriter. Career Pița has directed several award-winning films since 1970, including the 1985 hit ''Pas în doi'', which won an Hono ...

** '' Jamón Jamón'' by Bigas Luna ** ''

Un cœur en hiver ''A Heart in Winter'' (french: Un cœur en hiver) is a French film which was released in 1992. It stars Emmanuelle Béart, Daniel Auteuil and André Dussollier. It was chosen to compete at the 49th Venice International Film Festival, where it ...

'' by Claude Sautet * 1993 – '' Kosh ba kosh'' by Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov * 1994 ** '' Heavenly Creatures'' by

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

** '' Little Odessa'' by

James Gray James, Jim, or Jimmy Gray may refer to: Politicians * James Gray (Australian politician) (1820–1889), member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly * James Gray (British politician) (born 1954), British politician * James Gray (mayor) (1862–1916 ...

** '' Il toro'' by Carlo Mazzacurati

Silver Lion for Best First Work(1981–1982)

* 1981 ** '' Do You Remember Dolly Bell?'' by

Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...

* 1982 ** '' Sciopèn'' by Luciano Odorisio ** ''

The Hes Case ''The Hes Case'' (Dutch: ''De smaak van water'', also known as ''The Taste of Water'') is a 1982 Dutch drama film written and directed by Orlow Seunke, at his feature film debut. The film premiered at the 39th edition of the Venice Film Festiva ...

'' (''De smaak van water'') by Orlow Seunke

Silver Lion for Best First Film (1983–1987)

* 1983 – ''

Sugar Cane Alley ''Sugar Cane Alley'' ( French title: ''La Rue Cases-Nègres'') is a 1983 film directed by Euzhan Palcy. It is set in Martinique in the 1930s, when Africans working sugarcane fields were still treated harshly by their white employers. It is based o ...

'' by Euzhan Palcy * 1984 – '' Sonatine'' by Micheline Lanctôt * 1985 – ''

Dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in ...

'' by Marion Hänsel * 1986 – ''

A King and His Movie ''A King and His Movie'' ( es, La película del rey) is a 1986 Argentine comedy drama film, directed by Carlos Sorín, and written by Sorín and Jorge Goldenberg. The movie features Ulises Dumont and Julio Chávez, among others. In a survey of th ...

'' by Carlos Sorín * 1987 – '' Maurice'' by

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with screen ...

Silver Lion for Best Screenplay (1990)

* 1990 – ''Sirup'' by Helle Ryslinge

Silver Lion for Best Short Film (1996–2007)

* 1996 – ''

O Tamaiti O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), plu ...

'' by Sima Urale * 1999 – ''

Portrait of a Young Man Drowning ''Portrait of a Young Man Drowning'', published in 1962, is the only published novel written by Charles Perry. Plot The novel takes place in the slums of Brooklyn during the Great Depression, and follows the narrator, Harry Odum, from his earl ...

'' by Teboho Mahlatsi * 2000 – ''

A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''ae ...

'' by

Peter Long Peter Long (born 4 June 1952) is an English businessman. He is the chairman of Royal Mail and Countrywide. Early years Long was born in Malta, as his father was serving in the Royal Navy. He attended Price's Grammar School in Fareham, Hamps ...

* 2001 – ''

Freunde "Freunde" (''Friends'') is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the fourth single and the twelfth track from the album ''Zurück zum Glück''. The song is a hymn and an ode to friendship overall. Music video The music video was directed by Sven Bolli ...

'' by

Jan Krüger Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numbe ...

* 2002 – ''

Clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

'' by

Irina Evteeva Irina (Cyrillic: Ирина) is a feminine given name of Ancient Greek origin, commonly borne by followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is derived from Eirene ( Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη), an ancient Greek goddess, personification of ...

* 2003 – '' Neft'' by

Murad Ibragimbekov Murad or Mourad ( ar, مراد) is an Arabic name. It is also common in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Turkish, Persian, and Berber as a male given name or surname and is commonly used throughout the Muslim world and Middle East. Etymology ...

* 2004 – ''

Signe d'appartenance Signe or Signy is a feminine given name used in the Nordic and Baltic countries, derived from Old Norse ''sigr'' (victory) and ''nýr'' (new), which may refer to: *Signe (Finnish princess), a legendary Finnish princess * Signy, two heroines i ...

'' by

Kamel Cherif Kamel ( ar, كامل }) is a given name meaning ''perfect'' or ''the perfect one''. It may refer to: People with the given name Kamel * Abdullah Kamel Abdullah Kamel Al Kandari (born 1973), Kuwaiti extrajudicial prisoner of the United States * ...

* 2005 – '' Xiaozhan'' by

Chien-ping Lin ''Bing'' ( zh, 餠) is a wheat flour-based Chinese food with a flattened or disk-like shape. These foods may resemble the flatbreads, pancakes, pies and unleavened dough foods of non-Chinese cuisines. Many of them are similar to the Indian ...

* 2006 – '' Comment on freine dans une descente?'' by Alix Delaporte * 2007 – '' Dog Altogether'' by Paddy Considine

Silver Lion for Revelation (2006)

* 2006 – Emanuele Crialese for '' Nuovomondo''

References

External links

La Biennale di Venezia official website
{{The Silver Lion Venice Film Festival Awards for best director Italian film awards Lists of films by award